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Oliver Laxe Unveiled His Armchair at the 23rd FICM Before Screening SIRÂT

During the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), director Oliver Laxe was honored with the unveiling of a customized movie armchair before showing Sirât (2025).

Accompanied by Daniela Michel, founder and Director of FICM, and Alejandro Ramírez, president of the festival, the director shared his excitement about being there.

Daniela Michel welcomed the Spanish filmmaker and told the audience how thrilled she was to have Sirât in the program. “You are going to see an amazing, magnificent film,” she said to the audience, adding that the film, which won the Jury Prize at the last Cannes Film Festival, “is an absolute experience.”

Oliver Laxe stepped forward to the sound of applause, addressing the audience waiting eagerly to see his latest film. "I like it when I finish a film and the images stay with me. I think Sirât is a film that can be seen with the skin, with the guts, with the ears." He also acknowledged the warmth of the Mexican audience in welcoming films from around the world, highlighting his pleasant experiences every time he returns to the country.

“We have a tradition. The filmmakers we respect, admire, and cherish, and who we know have left their mark on the history of cinema, are given an armchair with their name stitched on it so that their presence is always felt in Screening Room 4 at Cinépolis Morelia,” Alejandro Ramírez said.

“There is a Galician embassy in Morelia,” Laxe said humorously as he unveiled his armchair, adding that this recognition no doubt motivates him to continue making films.

 Daniela Michel and Oliver Laxe

In Sirât, a father and son arrive at a rave in southern Morocco in search of Mar, the daughter and sister who disappeared months ago at one of those parties. There, they distribute her photo time and again. While their hope fades, they persevere and follow some ravers to one last party in the desert. But as they move deeper into the wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.

After the screening, the director held a brief discussion with the audience. “It's not just the party, it's also the journey. The physical and metaphysical journey,” said Laxe, noting that his interest in making Sirât and addressing this topic stems from his love of techno music and the cathartic experiences that raves can provide.

It was very important to Oliver Laxe to convey the feeling of a party, which made working with the actors complicated. “We couldn't have actors playing punks,” said the director about his search for real ravers to bring the party he filmed to life.

A member of the audience, visibly moved by the sensitivity and humanism Laxe achieves in his film, said, “I am grateful that you have made us part of this, that you have allowed us to be immersed in this desert.”